Relative Location
by Oparu
Summary: May and Phil's car strands them in a forest in Kenya. The team rescues them, after a while.


_Notes: __for Drawn-to-darkness, who left me a lovely prompt._

He smiles up at her from the passenger seat. Phil has his seat all the way back and his tie off because even though the sun's setting, it's hot and still. Nothing's moving for kilometres in either direction and insects hum around them in the trees.

"You can't fix it."

"No." Melinda leans against the car and wipes her hands on a rag from the trunk. "I can't reset the car's computer system."

"Okay." He shuts his eyes again and sighs. "It smells nice here, doesn't it?"

Taking a tie from her pocket, she lifts her hair into a ponytail. "We're at least a three hour walk from the nearest town."

"Oh?"

"Maybe more. Fitz will be able to track us with our phones, provided he can find a satellite."

Phil stretches lazily then folds his fingers over his stomach. "We don't have reception."

"That won't stop him."

He smirks at her because he doesn't need to see her face to know what she's thinking. "The sun's setting."

"Usually does around this time near the equator."

"I can think of worse places to be stuck," Phil says, taking another deep breath. "It's not raining."

"It might."

"The roof of the car is fine," he reminds her. "We can huddle up inside."

She rolls her eyes and Phil smiles just as she does. He doesn't need to hear it.

"If they can get a satellite, they'll be able to see us."

Melinda crosses her arms over her chest. The air's hot, wet and heavy, like Hong Kong in the summer. "They'll still have to drive up here and rescue us."

"Some coffee farmer might drive by."

"At night?"

"A coffee farmer would be awake much of the time, wouldn't she?"

"Fury chose this location for its distance from anyone."

"And its equatorial location." Phil opens his eyes and half-sits up. "And I think he liked the coffee."

"He could have shipped it in."

"Not all of our secret bases needed to be hidden in frozen wastelands."

"That part of Canada is lovely."

Phil unbuttons his shirt, exposing just a little of his chest beneath. He already has the sleeves rolled up. "And cold."

"It's easier to be cold."

He manages to reach over and touch her thigh without even looking where she is. "You just like winter hats, and snow. Snow gets everywhere."

"So does sand."

Phil has to agree with that. She can't lean on the side of the car all night. Melinda circles around and climbs into the driver's seat next to him. Her seat's still upright until he reaches over and flicks it down so she's lying beside him.

"The sky's going to be amazing," Phil says.

"We're in the car."

"That can be remedied."

"We're in the middle of nowhere."

"We're at exactly point six-oh-nine-seven degrees south, thirty-six point seven-three-five-six degrees east."

"That doesn't help us at all."

"We're in the Mau forest."

She glares at him and he just smiles back.

"There's a blanket in the trunk."

Melinda fixes him with a look.

"The sky's clear. We could watch the stars come out. You can tell me how far we are from anywhere you'd like to be, and how to navigate with the stars and we can look for Asgard."

"You can't see Asgard."

"Not with the light pollution in a city!"

He's an idiot, but there's something absolutely charming about him. She resists, just a little; enough that when she lies down on the blanket next to him, in the middle of the Mau forest, he smiles.

He'll call it a victory.

Melinda ends up remembering it as the night Phil wanted to name a constellation 'Lola' and she fell asleep on his shoulder. Only because she was really tired, and he was telling some story that she's heard a hundred times. She loves the sound of his voice, the way he slips into a story and loses himself in it.

She can hear him smile, even when she's half-asleep.

The car arriving wakes her, because she's ready for Hydra, for anything, but it's Fitz, Simmons and Skye, with the latter complaining that Kenya drives on the wrong side of the road and Simmons calling her a Philistine.

Melinda pretends to be asleep for a few moments, just to listen to the three of them approach and talk to Phil. He might realise she's awake, but she's very good at keeping still and maintaining a sleepy rhythm in her breathing.

"Do we wake her?" Fitz asks.

"She's so cute," Simmons whispers.

"You guys-" Skye adds. "You'll wake her."

"We're going to have to wake her. She's got to get in the car."

"I can pick her up," Phil says and Melinda tries to remember the last time he lifted her. It's been years and she could admit she's awake and save him the trouble, but there's something sweet in his chivalry.

"I didn't know she was so tired," Simmons says.

"She gets up really early," Skye replies. "And driving is tiring."

"Well, I'm wide awake," Fitz promises.

Simmons sighs. "You're always like that when you have tea late at night."

"It's not that late-" Fitz protests.

Phil shifts, carefully transferring her head onto someone's- Skye's- lap. He crouches, settles himself, and then lifts her up. He does it smart, using his legs, and he's incredibly gentle. She lets him carry her to the SUV. Someone opens the door and he settles her into the back seat.

Skye reaches across to put Melinda's seat belt on, and she maintains the illusion of being completely out as Skye leans over her. The belt clicks, and Melinda kisses her cheek.

Skye jumps nearly halfway out of the car. Simmons makes a startled chirp, Fitz jumps and Phil laughs. He knew, but he loves it.

Rubbing her cheek, Skye stares at Melinda. "You were awake."

"As soon as you drove up."

"But you-"

"Being unconscious is a skill that needs practice, just like anything else."

Skye's still staring at her in disbelief as everyone else gets in and Fitz rigs the tow for the other car. Phil climbs in next to her and Melinda's in the back, in the middle between Phil and Skye. He throws his arm over the seat, welcoming her head on his shoulder.

Leaning against the window, Skye watches the two of them, her smile spreading. Melinda would resist, but the air is heavy and it's over an hour back to the nearest airfield.

They'll all think she's faking it anyway.


End file.
